i don't care if you're contagious
by TheFlyingGraysons
Summary: bella swan never comes home from the ballet studio, leaving her twin sister and father to grieve her death. evangeline finds herself alone for the first time in her life, and lost. she soon comes to find out that the woods in forks are teeming with creatures, good and bad. and for some, shes just become the ultimate target.
1. numb

The Cullens left soon after Bella died. I wish that I could say I was surprised. Charlie, distraught as he was, tried his damndest to connect Edward to Bella's death. I wish I could say I disagreed with him.

I know Edward Cullen had something to do with my sisters death. Call it sisters intuition, or maybe just common sense. As upset as Bella was at her breakup with Edward, there was no way she would leave Charlie, leave me. Renee, well.. Bella and I had done our fair share of raising our own mother. It was Phil's job now. I don't think Bella would be too upset about leaving her. I know I wouldn't.

Then again, Bella was always the "wear your heart on your sleeve" type. I was more of the "bottle it up until you do something self destructive" type. I know, super healthy.

Although I never said anything to the Cullens, I think they knew I didn't trust them. I just hope they know I blame them for whatever happened to Bella.

 **-o-**

On my eighteenth birthday, I woke up to the smell of bacon frying. It put a soft smile on my face, knowing that Charlie was trying his hardest to let me have a good birthday, despite Bella being… well, anyways.

I dressed in my black leggings and dark red knit sweater, laced my ankle boots and spritzed on perfume. My usual makeup routine consisted of a perfectly beat face, arched brows and sharp wings, but today I decided on nothing. Another difference between Bella and I; I loved fashion and makeup whereas Bella despised anything more than jeans and a tee shirt. I still had bundles of designer clothes courtesy of Alice Cullen, the one good thing the Cullen's had done for me.

Not that that matters anymore, considering Bella is dead.

Feeling the emptiness of the room beginning to swallow me, I hurried out. Although I had dropped out of school, I still liked to get ready for the day. It kept me from slipping completely into the darkness.

"Happy birthday Eva." Charlie greeted me with a plate of my favorite breakfast foods- loads of crispy bacon, french toast, hash browns, and eggs that were more cheese than egg.

"Thanks dad," I sat at the table, across from his coffee. "This looks really good. You didn't need to go through all this trouble."

"It's your birthday, Eves," Charlie waved off my comment, and sat down at the table. "Here."

He slid a wrapped box my way, and took a drink of his coffee. I moved my plate aside and unwrapped the box. It contained a high quality camera, and a new high end makeup palette. Both things I had mentioned wanting, back before everything went to shit.

"Dad," My voice caught in my throat. "Thank you."

"It's from me and your mother." Charlie said in a gruff voice.

I nodded, and started my breakfast. Charlie drank the rest of his coffee, and gave me an apologetic look.

"I tried to get today off, but there's a missing persons case-" Charlie started, but I interrupted.

"Dad, it's fine. I'll probably head to La Push, get some nice scenery pictures." I held out the camera as proof.

"Sounds good." He gave me a rare hug, and headed out the door. The click of the lock sliding shut resounded throughout the house, reminding me that I was alone.

Thoughts of Bella threatened to cloud my mind, and I quickly finished my breakfast. Putting my plate in the dishwasher, I took the camera to the couch and spent the next hour charging it and reading through the manual. Once it was fully charged and I had the basics figured out, I carefully set it in my bag and headed out to the truck that Bella and I had once shared.

I so desperately wanted a new vehicle, but there was absolutely no way I could afford it, and I know Charlie can't either. Bella hadn't died in the car, but she _had_ driven it to the airport that lead her to Phoenix, which lead her to the ballet studio which lead her to her death-

Slamming my hand against the steering wheel, I quickly turned the car on and whipped out of the driveway, the engine roaring. I drove to La Push like I was able to outrun my thoughts, which sadly, I knew I couldn't. But I could try.

On the small highway that takes to either La Push or Seattle, depending on where you turned, I pushed the ancient truck to go nearly seventy. It was only fifty five, but it didn't matter to me. I slowed after a few minutes, partly because the turn was coming and partly because I was worried about blowing the motor. And then it would be one less connection I had to Bella.

Flipping on the flashers, I swung the vehicle to the side of the road, nearly ruining the brakes with my abrupt stop I'm sure. The hole in my chest burned fiercely and the tears pricking my eyes came out in waves, leaving me clutching the steering wheel and crying hard. It felt like my throat was closed and my chest was being hit by a brick, over and over again.

Bella should have been here to turn eighteen with me.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, lost in sadness, but it was a knock on the window that startled me into existence once more. I looked out the window to see a kind looking woman with three angry scars maring her otherwise perfect face. She must be Emily Young. I vaguely recalled the bear accident that marred her features. Knowing I must look like the broken mess I felt, I wiped a sleeve across my face and manually rolled down the window of the ancient truck.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? Are you hurt?" The woman said in alarm, looking at my tear sodden face in horror.

"I'm fine." My voice sounded pathetic, even to me. Although I knew it wasn't my fault, I felt so embarrassed by it. I was so used to being the strong twin that I didn't know how to cope with this much sadness.

"My name is Emily," She responded, looking concerned still. "Please, can I invite you to my house? I can drive."

"I can't impose on you like that," I cleared my throat, trying to sound more human. "I was on my way to the cliffs, I wanted to take some pictures of the scenery."

"Then, would you mind if I came with?" Emily pressed. "I really would hate to leave you alone after seeing you like this."

"I wouldn't want to ruin your plans,' I said, biting my lip. The thought of having company made today sound bearable though. "But if you haven't got anything going on.."

Emily gave me a wide smile. "I'm free for the day. Would you mind if I ride with you?"

"Not at all," I shook my head. "What about your car?"

"My fiance will take care of it," Emily waved her hand. "Let me grab my purse and I'll be right in."

I nodded, and she walked away. The reality of inviting a stranger to spend the day with me hit me rather suddenly, but I found I wasn't nearly as worried as I should be. Perhaps that should worry me. But Emily seemed so nice and kind that I didn't think she would do me any harm. I normally had a good danger receptor, unlike Bella..

Tears pricked my eyes again, and I bowed my head, wrapping my arms around my chest and digging my nails into my sides. I willed myself to calm down, and after a few moments I was able to wipe my eyes and gather myself.

The passenger door opened and Emily hoisted herself into the car. She looked to be a bit shorter than me, so getting in the car proved to be a bit difficult for her. Emily gave a small laugh as she shut the door.

"I normally have my fiance lift me into his truck, and I drive a bug myself." Emily explained.

"My sister and I used to play the slugbug game." The words slipped out of my mouth as the memory came to the front of my mind, carving another bit into my chest. I blinked hard, preventing any tears from coming.

"Oh yeah, my boys love using my car for that." Emily laughed again, buckling herself.

"You have kids?" In my opinion, she looked far too young to have any kids that would have the mental capacity to play that game.

"No, not yet," Emily chuckled. "My fiance and I are very close to our group of friends, they're family to us."

"Oh." I nodded. I hadn't ever had that type of friend group, or friend in general. I just don't usually click with people like a normal person.

"I just realized I didn't ask for your name." Emily sighed. "How rude of me."

"Evangeline," I told her. "I should have probably told you before you got in the car."

"That's such a pretty name." Emily gushed, clasping her hands together. "Oh, if you turn here there's a shortcut to the cliffs."

I turned into the dirt road, which lead up to the first cliff of La Push. Parking as far off to the side as possible, I grabbed my bag and got out of the car. Emily walked around and pointed out some scenery, and some areas to take pictures off the cliff from.

Emily turned out to be a near expert of the La Push woods, and together we spent nearly three hours walking around and taking photos. Contrary to what I had experienced in the car, she wasn't much of a talker, the more comfortable she got with me the more she didn't rush to fill the empty spaces. I was thankful for that, as I didn't want a lot of talking today. I wanted to center myself in nature.

She told me about her fiance Sam, and their friends Jared and Paul. They all seemed like cool people, the type of friends I would choose to keep if I had a clique. Sam, the one with all the solutions. Jared, the funny yet mysterious yet reserved guy. Paul, the classic playboy with a secret heart of gold. Emily, the caring and supportive best friend everyone wished to have.

Meeting Emily certainly took my mind off of things, for at least a while. It was when the camera battery died and Emily had been quiet for awhile that my thoughts came back to rip through my chest, and I had to squeeze a rock in my hand so hard that I ended up with a nasty gash dripping blood. Thankfully, Emily didn't seem to notice, and I cleaned it up with some tissues I had in my bag.

"Ready to head back?" I asked Emily, who was sat on a rock staring at the trees. I seemed to startle her, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sounds good," She stood up. "How would you like to have dinner at my house before you head home?"

As hungry as I was, I had to refuse her offer. I had Charlie to have dinner with for my birthday.

"Another time, then." Emily patted my arm.

We walked to the car in silence, and thoughts of Bella kept swirling through my head. I could hear her now, complaining about the bugs and all the walking, tripping over her own two feet. I would crack jokes at her expense, she'd through me a witty comeback, and we'd go back and forth until we would have to stop and catch our breath from laughing.

"It's my birthday today." I blurted out before I could stop myself. Seeing the bright look on Emily's face, I hurriedly continued. "It's also my sisters birthday, but she died a couple of months ago."

"Oh," Emily's face looked shocked, her tone concerned. "Isabella Swan?"

"Bella," I corrected automatically, feeling the fiery burn whip behind my eyes. "The one and only."

"I'm so sorry." Emily placed a warm hand on my shoulder. I could easily feel her body heat through the thin sweater. "I didn't realize you were related."

"We don't look- didn't, look much like each other." I responded with. It was true, I had shocking blue eyes, lighter colored hair, different body proportions than Bella. If you looked close enough, you could see the same eyebrow arch, same sharp jawline, same lips, same pale skin.

"My fiance told me about what happened to her," Emily's eyes took on a faraway look, and she shook her head. "No wonder you were so upset earlier."

I nodded. I wanted to take the words back, now that I had said them. I didn't want to focus on my loss, every sympathetic look would be just another carve in my chest. Thankfully, Emily seemed to sense I didn't want to talk, and we continued in silence to the car.

"Did your fiance get your car?" I asked, breaking the silence as we settled back into the truck.

"Oh yeah, hours ago," Emily waved her hand. "I'll give you directions to my house."

Emily didn't live very far from the cliffs, it was barely a fifteen minute drive. I recognized Jacob Black's house as I drove, wincing when I thought of how upset he was at the funeral. How he didn't let go of Billy's wheelchair even for a second, how Billy looked on with a grim face and knowing eyes.. The Cullen's didn't attend her funeral.

"It's right down this drive." Emily pointed towards a dirt road.

It lead to a quaint little house with potted flowers surrounding the wrap around porch. As the ancient truck made its loud entrance; a tall, muscular man came out of the house, his posture tense and dark eyes glinting. He visibly relaxed when he saw Emily, but stiffened at the sight of me.

"Em." The word came from his mouth as though he were referring to a God. He immediately wrapped Emily in his arms, giving her loving kisses down the scars on her face.

I felt as though I were intruding on an intimate moment, and looked away.

"Evangeline, this is Sam," Emily smiled from underneath Sam's arm. "Sam, this is Evangeline Swan."

I could tell the exact moment he registered who I was; for his face shifted into the sympathetic, "I'm so sorry for Bella" mask everyone got when they found out about her. It made me want to shove a blade through my wrist.

"It was nice meeting you both," I rushed out before he could say anything. "I have to get going."

Since I had not gotten out of the car, I quickly shifted the old truck in reverse and took off. I didn't bother looking in my rearview mirror, I didn't want to see the reaction either of them may have had towards my sudden disappearance.

I wanted more than anything to drive away from myself.

 **hey guys! hope this chapter was intriguing enough for yall to stick around for the next and leave a review on this one. as usual, my oc will be imprinted on. cant get enough of my wolf bois. I have not yet decided on who though.**

 **lemme know what you think so far! any thoughts ya got! any suggestions! thanks for reading.**

 **-TheFlyingGraysons**


	2. sad birthday song

As I headed back into Forks, I realized I didn't even get Emily's number. A shame really, since she seemed nice enough and had no direct ties towards Bella. And there goes the empty chest whiplash coming out in full force. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, nearly causing the truck to swerve into the guardrail protecting me from the ocean.

I managed to make it home in one piece, and found myself disappointed when Charlie had yet to show. Of course, I had to remind myself that I had been gone for maybe four and half hours tops. Oh well, looks like I get to take a nap before birthday dinner.

In my room, I plugged my camera in, took my shoes off, and laid down on the bed. The silence of the house became deafening, and again the hole in my chest threatened to swallow me. I pulled my comforter over my head, shoved my face in the pillow, and willed my mind to turn off. Of course, like always, that didn't work.

Shoving my blanket off, I grabbed my puffy winter jacket from the closet, and put my boots back on. Phone in hand, I went downstairs. I nearly slipped on the last step when the home phone rang, making my heart leap into my chest.

"Swan residence." I answered, one hand pressed against my chest.

"Evangeline?" Emily's familiar phone came through the phone. "It's Emily, Emily Young."

"Oh, hey," I said, a bit confused. "How did you-"

"Billy Black gave me your number." Emily broke in.

"Oh," I stopped, pausing for a moment. "I meant to get your number before I left."

"It's all good," Emily replied, and I could almost see her waving her hand. "I just wanted to make sure you got home safe. You left rather quickly."

"Yeah, I uh, didn't want to be late to dinner with my dad." I bit down on my lip, hoping she didn't see through my lie.

If she did, she didn't mention it. "Of course! I don't want to keep you. Here, let me just give you my number."

We exchanged numbers, and hung up with each other. I was actually relieved she called, she was a neutral person.

Zipping up my coat, I walked outside and sat on the front porch. The winter jacket may have been a bit overkill, but I tended to run on the colder side of things. Brushing away leaves and some dirt, I moved to sit against the front door. I put my hood up, and closed my eyes.

At some point I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to Charlie frantically shouting my name. I opened my eyes to see the cruiser crookedly parked in the front yard, drivers door open, Charlie rushing to me. I quickly got to my feet, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

"Dad, I'm okay," I mushed out, half asleep. "The house was quiet so I came out here."

Charlie gathered me in a hug. "I'm sorry. I should have pushed to get the day off."

"No, you need to work." I muttered into his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him.

"Let's go to dinner," Charlie let me out of the hug. "I won't bother changing. Are you ready?"

I nodded, and we both got in the cruiser.

We went to the diner, Charlie's usual haunt. He ordered a steak and a baked potato with all the fixings, along with a coke. I got a bacon cheeseburger, ketchup only, with a side of cheese fries, and a Dr. Pepper, my drink of choice. We even split an appetizer of potato skins, making our combined meals something Bella would have a heart attack over.

 _You guys won't even be able to get through your meal without a heart attack!_ Bella would exclaim disdainfully. She would then pressure both Charlie and I to at least order a salad apiece, if we insisted on eating all of that. I know she did it mainly for Charlie's benefit, but I played along every time anyways.

Charlie and I easily avoided any talk of Bella, instead talking about how each others day went. I told him about meeting Emily Young, and spending the day with her. I told him about briefly meeting Sam, and Charlie was quick to sing praises about the both of them. Turns out they have an extremely good reputation both on and off the rez. His work day was busy, filled mainly with paperwork.

We went straight home after dinner, and spent the rest of the evening watching reruns of Family Guy together. I showed him a few of the pictures I took in La Push, and he told me he was proud of them. It was nice, spending time with Charlie without him being locked away at work, and me alone in the empty house. Of course, it had to come to an end sooner or later.

"I've got to be getting to bed for work tomorrow kiddo," Charlie yawned, slowly getting to his feet. "I do have one more thing for you."

"Dad, you didn't have to get me anything else." My voice trailed off when I saw him take a small black jewelry bag out of his pocket, and hand it to me.

"It's some of her ashes." Charlie told me in a gruff voice. I nodded slowly, my fingers grasping the bag tightly. I held a piece of Bella right here in my hands.

Charlie took me in a hug for a few long moments. "Goodnight Eves."

"Night dad." I replied, watching as he descended the stairs.

There was no way I wanted to go to my room and sleep right now. A distraction from doing so came in the form of me remembering no one had gotten the mail yet, so I quickly headed out to get it.

It was a cold night, and I found myself wishing that I had slipped on a jacket and some shoes. Thankfully, it wasn't a long walk to the mailbox, and I quickly grabbed the contents and hurried back inside. To my surprise, there was a thick cream envelope and a silver box, both addressed to me.

I put the rest of the mail in the kitchen, and took mine to the couch. The envelope and the box both looked expensive. There was no return address, and my name was written in a slanted, impeccable cursive. I decided on opening the box first.

It contained a dainty silver chain necklace, with a crescent moon outlined with diamonds and filled with sapphires. I nearly choked. There was no way it was real. Thankfully, with Renee as a mom who was always running to the pawn shop to trade in jewelry for money, I knew how to spot the real thing, and couldn't believe it when it was.

"Holy shit." I murmured, holding the necklace in my palm, feeling the cooling weight of the silver against my skin.

There was nothing in the box, as far as I was aware it was anonymous. Yet the person who sent it knew of my long-time obsession with moons, and my sapphire birthstone. After debating for a few moments, I decided to put it on. After all, it was sent to me.

The envelope was heavier than I would have expected, and I opened it to see both a card and another envelope. I took out the card first, and saw that it was a generic happy birthday card on the front and inside; with a message written in the same slanted cursive. _I hope your eighteenth was amazing. Here's to many more years._

I narrowed my eyes, and picked up the second envelope. Opening it, I nearly had a heart attack. I felt my vision tunnel, my head get fuzzy. Inside the envelope was a thick stack of hundred dollar bills. I had never held this much money in my life, never even seen it with my own two eyes.

Yet there it was, right in front of me.

Shoving the money back into the envelope along with the card, I picked up the box and headed upstairs. My head was swimming, and I had no idea what to do with it. The answer was simple, keep it. I don't know how I would explain the extra cash to Charlie, but that could come later, if he noticed.

In my bed, I gently took the money back out from the envelope, noticing for the first time that there was another stack tucked tightly and neatly inside the large paper. Unwrapping the bands holding the money together, I started counting the crisp bills. The higher I counted, the more unbelievable it all was. By the time I was done, I was staring at one hundred and eighty hundred dollar bills. I kept staring, kept thinking, wondering who could have given me this gift. $180,000. The answer never came, and eventually I slid the money back into its envelope.

I put the envelope underneath a couple of notebooks in my bedside drawer, and unclasped the necklace, gently laying it on the tap of the table. I took the necklace containing Bella's ashes, a small silver cylinder, and put it around my neck. Shutting off the light, I plugged my phone in and pressed play on my sleep playlist. The exhaustion from the emotional day I had settled into my bones, and I managed to fall asleep without trouble.

 **hope yall are liking this so far! leave me a review with your thoughts.**

 **-theflyinggraysons**


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